Teams or email: which should you use?

A simple rule of thumb

• Teams chat for quick questions and conversations between people who work together. Things you would say across the desk.
• Teams channels for ongoing work that a group shares: a department, a location, a client. Files and conversation stay together where everyone can find them.
• Email for anyone outside your business, for anything formal or that needs a clear record, and for messages that will be forwarded or filed.

Habits that help

• Put files in a channel, not in chat. Files shared in a one-to-one chat live in someone’s personal OneDrive and are hard for anyone else to find later.
• Name channels for the work, not the people. “Accounts payable” lasts longer than “Sarah and Tom.”
• Use @mentions sparingly, so they keep meaning something.
• Set your status and quiet hours so colleagues know when you are available.

A security note

Teams is not immune to scams. Attackers sometimes message staff through Teams from outside organizations, posing as IT support. The same rules apply as for email: an unexpected request to sign in, install something or share a code should be checked through another channel.